Tag Archives: Gluten-free diet

Celiac Disease Explained

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Great Day HoustonDespite running the risk that some of you might sigh “Not again!” I still have to share a video about celiac disease and following a gluten-free diet from Great Day Houston. At the end of the day, celiac disease is still heavily under-diagnosed and I therefore feel that it can’t be mentioned often enough!

The great Angel Burch of Gluten Free Life TV where she talks about her road to diagnosis. Despite the staged audience reactions – which I thought are pretty funny – this gives a comprehensive overview of celiac disease (yeah, it’s not an allergy), what’s available in the gluten-free market, food safety & reading labels as well as the omnipresent issue of cross-contamination, typical symptoms and how to get tested.

If you look closely at the right side of the screen you’ll even be able to catch a glimpse of a bag of your one and only Custom Choice Cereal – Organic Corn Flakes with Natural Almonds, Cranberries and a double serving of Organic Raisins (copy mix ID 9894fd into the re-order box to get this cereal)!

There are two ways to see all of our awesome gluten-free cereal: 1) roughly two thirds into the video the camera shifts and you’ll see our cereal in its entire beauty or 2) design your own perfect breakfast cereal and enjoy Your Gluten Freedom at home! I’m just saying – I know what I’d do… ;-)

http://www.khou.com/v/?i=115569239

P.S. Also watch the video Cut Out the Sodium for a bigger mentioning of Custom Choice Cereal right at the beginning!

10 Gluten-free Summer Camps 2011

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Katie ChalmersEven though February just started I am sure that especially the parents among you are already thinking about the summer. If you have a child with celiac disease you might have ruled out Summer Camps for him or her in the past. No need to do so anymore as camps across the country have realized the need to serve the gluten-free community. Camp Kanata right here in North Carolina is just one of them, and we sponsored last year’s gluten-free week with our cereal – which the campers absolutely loved!

Fortunately for me, the one and only Katie Chalmers, mother to a daughter with celiac disease and author of the book “Mommy, What Is Celiac Disease”, has already done the work and compiled a list of 10 gluten-free summer camps in 2011. She has even be so nice to allow me to copy it here, so THANK YOU, Katie!

Please be aware that the camps fill up quickly and that you should act by the end of the month to reserve a spot for your child! Katie has been so nice to organize the camps chronologically. If both you and your child are interested in seeing a few different gluten-free camps and across the country over the summer, you can (at least in theory) attend 7 of the 10 camps this year :-)

Gluten-free Q&A with Dr. Stephen Wangen

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Dr. Stephen WangenWe at Custom Choice Cereal are excited to offer you another opportunity to ask gluten-free expert Dr. Stephen Wangen your questions about celiac disease, gluten intolerance, living without wheat, and whatever else want to know!

Stephen suffers from celiac disease himself, understands the challenges of a gluten-free diet, and is very passionate about helping you. Similar to us, his passion was a call that he answered by co-founding The IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA, blogging as The Gluten Free Doctor, and serving on the Board of Trustees for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. We invite you to read more about Stephen and his books in our introduction to our advisors.

Dr. Wangen is going out of his way to provide this wonderful service, and we appreciate your understanding that out of respect for Dr. Wangen and his time we have to limit each session to 5 questions on a first-come, first-served basis. Please join us at Custom Choice Cereal in thanking Stephen for taking the time off his busy schedule to address your concerns.

Asking your question is easy and can be done in just 4 simple steps:

  1. Post your question as a comment to this blog entry
  2. Subscribe to our blog (or check back in a few days) so you’ll know when then answer is up
  3. We send all questions to Dr. Wangen
  4. Dr. Wangen’s answers will be published in reply to your comments

We are looking forward to finding out what you would like to know because it’s a great way for us to learn something new as well!

The First Gluten-free Commercial

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“Can a little bowl of cereal change your life? I think it can.” And so do we at Custom Choice Cereal! That’s exactly the reason we created the only company that puts YOU in control and lets YOU design the perfect gluten-free cereal with only the ingredients YOU love!

General Mills has been at the forefront of bringing gluten-free food to the community, and if you haven’t already done so I highly recommend you check out their website dedicated to all of their gluten-free products. General Mills now created quite a buzz among those with celiac disease and everyone else following a gluten-free diet by producing the first commercial dedicated to a gluten-free product. They are exactly right when they say that “one of the challenges of being gluten-free is finding choices the whole family will love”.

One last comment before I share this awesome commercial with you: “Custom Choice Cereal. Over 2.5 billion combinations. Gluten Free.”

Gluten-free Expos in 2011

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Custom Choice Cereal at the Gluten-free Expo
Since the beginning of the new year we at Custom Choice Cereal have received quite a few inquiries asking about upcoming gluten-free events. We can only highly recommend them, check out our blog from the Chicago Gluten-free Expo in 2010!

Fortunately, there are quite a few happenings lined up across the country where you (and we, for that matter) can learn more about the gluten-free world. It’s such a dynamic space that rarely a day passes without us learning something new! These events are provide a great opportunity to learn more about celiac disease, gluten intolerance and wheat allergy as the big support organizations are usually present. You can also connect with others in your area who share the gluten-free life with you.

But enough intro, we know you are anxious to learn about the upcoming expos and events, so here they are:

One last favor: we are sure to have missed a few gluten-free fairs in this list, so if you know of one, please let us know about it by adding it in the comment section. You’d do us and everyone else a huge service!

Gluten-free vitamin brands

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Yesterday I stumbled across an article in the Boulder Jewish News that I thought was worth sharing with you. Authored by Lisa Velick (who by the way writes an outstanding gluten-free column), it gives another example of the fact that the evil gluten hides in the most unsuspecting places!
Boulder Jewish News
Lisa’s daughter was one day reading the label of her vitamin bottle and exclaimed surprised “Mommy, these have gluten in them!” This is exactly the reason why you absolutely have to be paranoid when you have celiac disease or are intolerant to gluten; don’t let outsiders who don’t understand what happens to you when you’re glutened tell you that you’re being “ridiculous”.

Please also remember that it’s not enough if it the label bares a statement that the vitamin is wheat-free. Gluten is a protein contained in wheat, rye, barley and most oats (cross-contamination), so everything that’s gluten-free is also wheat-free but not vice versa! Fortunately a few well-known brands specifically label their vitamins as gluten-free, and Lisa was so kind to provide a list that I’m sharing here:

  1. Hero Nutritionals Gummy Vitamins
  2. Country Life Vitamins
  3. Barlean’s Greens
  4. NOW Vitamins
  5. Bluebonnet Vitamins
  6. Pioneer Vitamins
  7. Natural Factors Vitamins

Note however that you should always read the labels and call the manufacturer if you’re unsure. Lisa also shares a recipe for nutritious Carob Oat Breakfast Bars (it’s critical to use certified gluten-free oats, as Jules points out in the comments). I’m saving the best for last: you can of course always design your perfect gluten-free cereal! Fortunately our nutrition label updates as you add ingredients to your mix so you can create a blend that not only suits your personal taste buds but provides exactly the nutrients that you need!

Gluten-free Subway sandwiches

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Subway GF SandwichThese news caused quite an up-stir in the gluten-free community last week: international sandwich chain Subway is testing a bun made of egg whites, corn starch and tapioca starches for customers with gluten sensitivities at 700 outlets in Dallas and East Texas.

“Gluten-free is something on the radar,” said Les Winograd, Subway spokesman. “There are number of people at Subway who are particularly interested in gluten-free items for their own particular digestive needs. It’s not something that’s unusual to us.”

We at Custom Choice Cereal think it’s been about time that the major fast food chains jump to gluten-free action! However, it will take a lot of eduction on the franchisees’ end and tons of effort to prevent cross-contamination. Food safety is important for everyone but especially those with celiac disease and who have to follow a gluten-free diet. Thinking about the processes – cutting and toasting the 9-Grain Wheat, 9-Grain Honey Oat, Italian, Italian Herbs & Cheese or Flatbread – we’re wondering whether or not they are separating operations and using dedicated gluten-free equipment.

The key question is: would you try a gluten-free sandwich from Subway? Why or why not?

Sniffing out the gluten

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Gluten-detection service dog EliasWe at Custom Choice Cereal came across one of the most amazing stories we heard in the gluten-free community in quite some time and have to share it with you. Knowing what can happen if a celiac gets “glutened” we are very diligent about our food safety controls (souring only naturally gluten-free ingredients, conducting additional testing for potential cross-contamination, maintaining a dedicated gluten-free facility, etc). Though not practical for us, here is another way to ensure your food is guaranteed gluten-free and safe to consume:

USA Today featured a story about Hollie Scott and her dog Elias, an award winning Beauceron. You see, Hollie has celiac disease, and even the slightest trace of gluten gets her ill for weeks. That’s why Elias has been trained as a – hold your breath – gluten-detection service dog! He accompanies here everywhere, even on the campus of the University of Missouri, where Hollie is a first-year student in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“When it’s time for him to do the sniff test for Scott, she places a cover with holes over the item, and Elias does his thing. She practices with him every day with known gluten-containing foods to augment the products she hopes are gluten-free so he doesn’t lose his edge. When there’s gluten, Elias tries to pull it away from her; if it’s safe, he simply looks away.”

This is the first time we’ve heard of this unique gluten detection mechanism. As the article points out, gluten is not only found in the obvious products containing wheat, rye or barley but is often used “as a filler, binder or thickener, hidden in all manner of food, including, for example, soy sauce, many salad dressings and even some toothpaste”.

We wonder if we will hear more about dogs sniffing out the gluten for their owners. What are your thoughts – would you consider a gluten-detection service dog for yourself? And would you trust a dog to find those tiny traces of gluten that could get you sick?

Gluten-free cookbook from Betty Crocker

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Gluten-free Betty Crocker CookbookAnother piece of great news for anyone with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or just enjoying a gluten-free life: Betty Crocker released a new cookbook with over 280 fast and foolproof (especially important for me) recipes that will “make the gluten-free diet a delight”.

Together with gluten-free expert, Jean Duane, Alternative Cook and the Betty Crocker test kitchen developed recipes such as the “Best-Ever Banana Bread, Dinner Rolls, Homemade Pizza (featured on the cover), Apple Pie, Apricot Muffins with Almond Streusel Topping, Cornbread, Sugar Cookies, Waffles, Cinnamon Scones, Gravy and Sandwich Bread”. The book also contains a special section on nutrition and recipe testing guidelines to ensure food safety.

Of course many of the recipes use the new Gluten Free Bisquick or Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cakes Mixes as the base. This makes sense because at the end of the day it’s a company out to make money. However, this helps tremendously in making the recipes really easy to follow and ensures results that taste great. The cookbook has been available on newsstands across the country since December 29, 2010.

We at Custom Choice Cereal are pretty excited about this, and after our delicious gluten-free granola bars this is defintiely another motivator to get in the kitchen and try some of the recipes.

Read the press release from Betty Crocker here.

Custom gluten-free cereal in the Indy

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The cold and rainy weather here in good ol’ North Carolina combined with maybe not the smartest behavior during New Year’s put quite a few of us down with a cold these days. Besides letting you enjoy a great variety of tasty gluten-free breakfast cereal there is one thing that always gets me fired up: your feedback!
Indy Weekly
Joyce Clark Hicks, who recently designed a cereal for her daughter, just happens to be a food reporter for a local paper called the Independent Weekly. The Indy focuses on Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, so writing about Custom Choice Cereal as a local food start-up with a focus on the gluten-free niche market made perfect sense.

Joyce liked the great variety besides dried fruits, nuts and seeds (“chocolate chips, anyone?”), the simple ordering process, and that her mix “arrived within two days of ordering”. She also points out that as a local you “can pick up your order and save on shipping”. Read the entire article about our custom gluten-free cereal start enjoying a tasty gluten-free life!

By the way, Joyce’s son is allergic to nuts and her daughter can’t have wheat, dairy, casein, whey, eggs or nuts. She sharing her experience of feeding her children through a wonderful monthly column called Feed With Care. Look for it in the first Indy of each month!